Windows 7 upgrade pricing leaks, and it's damn cheap

Our good friends at Engadget have gotten their hands on yet another tasty Windows 7 leak, though this time it's not just another marginally interesting build update. This time it's upgrade pricing information courtesy some careless generous Best Buy employee.
The presell cost to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium will be a paltry $49.99 and the Professional Upgrade will run $99.99. That's a pretty clear statement that Microsoft is going to be aggressive with Windows 7 pricing.
It's unlikely that Best Buy would be using an Upgrade OS as a loss leader, but we'll have to wait for more official news before we can call this one confirmed.
Long Zheng has crunched the numbers against Vista pricing, and estimates that the upgrade prices could translate to retail prices of $99.99 for Home Premium and $149.99 for Professional.
Let's hope the leak is accurate. Rock-bottom upgrade pricing would certainly be a nice olive branch to hand unhappy Vista users.
According to the memo, the presale mayhem begins on June 26th at BestBuy.com.
[via Engadget]
The presell cost to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium will be a paltry $49.99 and the Professional Upgrade will run $99.99. That's a pretty clear statement that Microsoft is going to be aggressive with Windows 7 pricing.
It's unlikely that Best Buy would be using an Upgrade OS as a loss leader, but we'll have to wait for more official news before we can call this one confirmed.
Long Zheng has crunched the numbers against Vista pricing, and estimates that the upgrade prices could translate to retail prices of $99.99 for Home Premium and $149.99 for Professional.
Let's hope the leak is accurate. Rock-bottom upgrade pricing would certainly be a nice olive branch to hand unhappy Vista users.
According to the memo, the presale mayhem begins on June 26th at BestBuy.com.
[via Engadget]












Comments
16
Subscribe to commentsHexDSLJun 5th 2009 1:32PM
any idea on the EU pricing yet?
MalteserrJun 5th 2009 1:45PM
We always get screwed. I'm not expecting it to be any cheap.
FredJun 5th 2009 2:05PM
For $50, I might actually upgrade my Windows Vista Ultimate 64rig to 7. I was not planning on it, since I like Vista so much, but for $50, there;s not a lot of reason NOT up upgrade...
DaveJun 5th 2009 3:01PM
I would do it anyway no matter how much you like Vista. Thanks to the bad reputation it has, support for it will drop fast (much like Windows ME).
KeegdnaBJun 5th 2009 2:28PM
How will upgrade paths work for say Vista Home Premium > 7 Pro? Will I still be able to get the upgrade edition, or will I have to pay for the full retail version?
GhotiJun 5th 2009 3:59PM
Keep in mind that if that Best Buy letter is legit, those prices are only good for 16 days (6/26/2009 - 7/11/2009).
ToddJun 5th 2009 4:07PM
That's some nice white washing of the original post!
Engadget post was about an internally leaked memo that show Windows 7 is doomed to fail for all the same reasons Vista did!
A new low in the Download Squad's ongoing role as a Microsoft apologist.
:P
Lee MathewsJun 5th 2009 4:10PM
Er, did you read a different memo? What in the Best Buy leak or the Engadget post speaks to the fact that Windows 7 will be a failure?
sitrucJun 5th 2009 7:30PM
A few posters over at engadget have their own pro-Apple and anti-just about anything else, but especially MS bias. Darren Murph is especially known for adding shots at Microsoft in his posts however positive the news may be. The title of the post on engadget is "Best Buy memo explains that Vista doesn't work, details Windows 7 upgrade plans." In reality the memo says "this new operating system isn't just a "Vista that works" program" as some detractors may call the OS. It goes on to say "it's a new operating system with improved productivity, funcionality and creativity that uses less computer resources. In simpler terms, this means less waiting, fewer clicks and less complexity for end users." The memo is actually just giving the salesperson a way of simply differentiating between the operating systems and giving the customer a reason to buy it. I used to think it was just the writers trolling and doing things for clicks, but they keep going too far with it and I'm beginning to believe they are just that obsessed with Apple. It diminishes the site and I don't visit as often.
kojo87Jun 6th 2009 2:10AM
i am very disappointed with Engadget as of late. i like the articles about new technology and gadgets but anything about Microsoft or Apple is nothing but editorial bullshit for the sake of starting a comment flamewar. readers call them out on their bias on a regular basis and there doesn't seem to be much change. its frustrating. i am very excited about Windows 7 (been running build 7100 for about a week and i love it) but everything i read on Engadget wants me to think its going to be "Vista all over again." they should send half their writers to TUAW
Brian!Jun 6th 2009 4:56AM
+1000
Engadget is loosing my complete respect. Their bias to Apple is painful. It's like if they wrote about Bic pens and gushed over them compared other brands. The fact is, computers are tools - and so similar to one another it is sickening. But more than that, if they are going to pretend to be journalists, it would be nice if they actually reported stories unbiased.
CamJun 10th 2009 11:55PM
I've almost quit reading Engadget entirely. Moved to Download Squad.
kaywhydubJun 5th 2009 4:41PM
@Todd
I'm rather curious how you translated that first paragraph into 'doomed to fail'. The only way to twist it that way is to read it with huge, bold tags around the text.
DonJun 5th 2009 4:56PM
Is there any real advantage in a new '7' install and an XP upgrade?
Lonnie McClureJun 5th 2009 11:30PM
I wonder if only systems running Vista will qualify for the presell upgrades, or if XP will also qualify?
ara_mz3Jun 6th 2009 2:21AM
This is true and I have heard from someone within MS that June 26 is when the upgrade guarantee will start.
So dont buy your Pc's till then but if you have to get Software Assurance.